Hey everyone. For a non-trad starting school in their early 30s, should the physical nature of dentistry be a concern? Working in such a small space doing tiny procedures with precise instruments sitting and peering down all day. What if someone started to have eyesight problems in their 40s? Or started to develop hand/wrist arthritis? Or just had huge hands to begin with? I like the idea of dentistry but these to me really are a concern. I have large hands and am very tall, so it might be difficult for me to sit up and stare straight down into a patient's mouth for long periods of time. I also have minor wrist pain from an injury I suffered a couple years ago. Am I just overthinking it? Or is it an issue we about which we need to be cautious? It seems like a surgeon could still do consults later in life if they couldn't perform procedures any more, but unless a dentist is performing procedures there is no money to be made. What are everyone's thoughts?
Should the Physical Nature of Dentistry be a Concern?
- Thread starter gleeful
- Start date
- Joined
- May 13, 2011
- Messages
- 214
- Reaction score
- 119
It can be an issue. People who don’t take ergonomics seriously can develop problems in posture and it can exacerbate issues. We have some tall people in our class/school and they don’t have too much of a problem, they just need to adjust the patient to fit what works best.
Before choosing dentistry I too had the same concerns as you. I'm now out of school and practicing dentistry. Here is my advice:
If you're going to commit yourself to a career in dentistry you must also commit yourself to a life of health and wellness. You should not be overweight. Eat healthy nutritious foods and exercise safely. Also, develop good ergonomics and posture inside and outside of work. You must prioritize your health.
1.) Get a good set of loupes and light. If anyone tells you they're bad for your eyes, or that you'll be dependent on them, ignore them. In my experience those people are dogmatic and don't read literature. They're also most likely a dental school professor.
2.) You MUST use good ergonomics and indirect vision as soon as possible.
3.) Exercise / eat healthy / stretch. Wellness must be your lifestyle.
3.) If your assistant sucks then fire them. They will make your job 1000x easier or harder just by doing a few simple things well or poorly.
4.) Get good disability insurance just in case.
It's rare that I even feel soreness at the end of a 9 hour work day. I work 5 days a week with an hour for lunch.
In fact, I think my office job before dental school was more destructive to my health. Dentistry has gotten easier and easier for me after graduation. What has been encouraging to me is that I have meet plenty of dentists who are well into their 6th and sometimes 7th decade working 3+ days a week. You can have a full career if you take care of yourself.
EDIT: Because you have not committed yet you should also consider medicine. There are lots of great opportunities in both fields. GL.
If you're going to commit yourself to a career in dentistry you must also commit yourself to a life of health and wellness. You should not be overweight. Eat healthy nutritious foods and exercise safely. Also, develop good ergonomics and posture inside and outside of work. You must prioritize your health.
1.) Get a good set of loupes and light. If anyone tells you they're bad for your eyes, or that you'll be dependent on them, ignore them. In my experience those people are dogmatic and don't read literature. They're also most likely a dental school professor.
2.) You MUST use good ergonomics and indirect vision as soon as possible.
3.) Exercise / eat healthy / stretch. Wellness must be your lifestyle.
3.) If your assistant sucks then fire them. They will make your job 1000x easier or harder just by doing a few simple things well or poorly.
4.) Get good disability insurance just in case.
It's rare that I even feel soreness at the end of a 9 hour work day. I work 5 days a week with an hour for lunch.
In fact, I think my office job before dental school was more destructive to my health. Dentistry has gotten easier and easier for me after graduation. What has been encouraging to me is that I have meet plenty of dentists who are well into their 6th and sometimes 7th decade working 3+ days a week. You can have a full career if you take care of yourself.
EDIT: Because you have not committed yet you should also consider medicine. There are lots of great opportunities in both fields. GL.
Last edited:
3
321931
Yes it is a concern. I workout every week, swim, bike, lift heavy weights.... I do this to keep in shape. When I don’t work out, it hurts to do dentistry.
A lot of dentists have physical ailments when they hit 40-50-60.
A lot of dentists have physical ailments when they hit 40-50-60.
Thanks for your reply. Definitely agree about having a healthy lifestyle. Thankfully I do follow such a lifestyle. My main concern though is about hands. Having massive ones and early hand/wrist arthritis. Like I said, I already get cortisone shots in my wrist because of an injury I had awhile ago.
Thanks for your reply. It's honestly the main reason I'm not all in on going to dental school right now. Especially for a nontrad starting at age 31-34, with less time to practice/earn an income before retirement, I feel like it has to be a huge concern. I have very large hands as well and get cortisone shots in my wrist from an injury I had a few years ago.
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2017
- Messages
- 28
- Reaction score
- 7
Like others have mentioned, you definitely need to make sure you take care of your body and keep it in good shape in order to have a long lasting dental career. One of the posters have mentioned that he/she knows alot of dentists that practice into their 60-70's, conversely I also know several that have had to retire earlier than they would like due to wrist/back/neck issues. Getting disability insurance is highly recommended, but in your case if you already have been getting cortisone shots for your wrist issues, the bad news is that when you try to get a disability policy, there is a good chance insurance companies will exclude any future wrist issues/injuries from your policy due to your preexisting condition.
Thanks for your reply. Yeah definitely worried about all of that haha. I'm also considering the med
Just saw the edit at the bottom of your post. I'm definitely considering medicine as well. My only concern there is since I'd be starting in my early 30s I would essentially be signing away the prime of my life. I'd like to maybe get married, start a family, etc. But there's obviously no guarantee that would work out even if I didn't spend my 30s working 80 hours a week in huge debt making menial wages. But it may be worth it. Some fields of medicine absolutely fascinate me. I spend time reading peer-reviewed publications in cardiology and orthopedics. It's incredible really.
3
321931
The great thing about medicine is that if you loose your body, you can still practice medicine. There are many alternatives in medicine that isn’t physical.
I don’t care what anyone says about how dentistry you can practice without your hands/back ailments but I guarantee you will be a fish out of water trying to find a “dental career” without physically being able to do dentistry. If anything you could do teaching but going into half a mil debt to make teacher salary of what 60,70,80k is laughable.
Those are my thoughts as well...and the main thing keeping me from going all-in on dentistry. Thanks for your input. Big fan of medicine as well...just nervous about signing away my entire 30s to debt, menial wages, and 80 hour work weeks.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2011
- Messages
- 127
- Reaction score
- 53
Practicing dentistry maybe not, but there are definitely jobs out there that pay decent enough that someone could do with physical ailments. Insurance companies hire dentists, public health, going into research. Plus there are so few people that do OMF radiology and OMF pathology that those probably would have openings. The lowest paid faculty at our school are around 110K, some of the more senior members who haven’t touched a hand piece in years are WELL into the six figures.
Are you male or female?
Male
Okay. Well, if you really like medicine, and want to minimize your risk for physical injuries, why not just do it? It will only be 4 years of school and then you're essentially working a job that pays >45-50k / year. The residency doesn't have to be that bad depending on what field you go into and medical debt tends to be less than dental debt. Many people meet others while they're in professional school and have kids. Hell, you could finish medical school @ 34ish and still date someone in their mid 20's. You have plenty of time to have a family.
Another option to consider is physician assistant school if you have the medical experience; however, I'm one of those people that think you cannot go wrong by doing what you really want to do.
Last edited:
Cool. I appreciate your honest input. I think you are definitely onto something. Gotta do what you love, period. Do what you love and the rest will probably fall into place.
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2000
- Messages
- 2,938
- Reaction score
- 658
Closer to 50 than 40 here, with 20 yrs of practice as a general dentist perspective on this topic....
Neck and lower back aches/issues can be, and for many long term practitioners ARE an issue. Posture, posture, posture is key!! Put the patient into a position that makes it easier on your body rather than a position that the patient may find a bit more comfortable whenever possible.
Personal fitness wise, stretching and core flexibility are way more important long term than bulky muscle mass!! (Took me until my late 30's/early 40's to fully grasp this concept!!) Some light/moderate cardio with stretching/yoga core flexibility moves on basically a daily basis (the yoga/stretching not necessarily the light cardio) is key. The reality that how we age, and how our bodies react and "wear" over time is important to grasp, because it is an issue for many in this profession.
Lastly, mental fitness is key too. This job, while incredibly rewarding in so many aspects, can also be very, very, very mentally draining. Finding an outlet to keep your brain sharp, which often involves some cognitive function items that aren't related to the practice of dentistry is key. Add in the mental stresses of running a practice along with for many their own family life, and it can wear people down over time.
There are plenty of physical and mental activities that I do now, and have started in the last 10 years, that looking back, I wish I had started right after, and/or even during dental school. We're all going to age, and that means things do change, accepting this, and preparing for it dramatically helps!
Neck and lower back aches/issues can be, and for many long term practitioners ARE an issue. Posture, posture, posture is key!! Put the patient into a position that makes it easier on your body rather than a position that the patient may find a bit more comfortable whenever possible.
Personal fitness wise, stretching and core flexibility are way more important long term than bulky muscle mass!! (Took me until my late 30's/early 40's to fully grasp this concept!!) Some light/moderate cardio with stretching/yoga core flexibility moves on basically a daily basis (the yoga/stretching not necessarily the light cardio) is key. The reality that how we age, and how our bodies react and "wear" over time is important to grasp, because it is an issue for many in this profession.
Lastly, mental fitness is key too. This job, while incredibly rewarding in so many aspects, can also be very, very, very mentally draining. Finding an outlet to keep your brain sharp, which often involves some cognitive function items that aren't related to the practice of dentistry is key. Add in the mental stresses of running a practice along with for many their own family life, and it can wear people down over time.
There are plenty of physical and mental activities that I do now, and have started in the last 10 years, that looking back, I wish I had started right after, and/or even during dental school. We're all going to age, and that means things do change, accepting this, and preparing for it dramatically helps!
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2015
- Messages
- 329
- Reaction score
- 307
Thank you for giving your input on this issue! Can you also share what those physical and mental activities that you wished you did during/right out of dental school are? I'm starting dental school in the fall and also have some of the same concerns as OP
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2000
- Messages
- 2,938
- Reaction score
- 658
Physical is easy - as I posted, I wish that I had done more stretching/core flexibility exercises as opposed to heavy weight work earlier on
Mentally - just basically find something to read or listen too or do, that is mentally stimulating to you, but has absolutely nothing to do with the clinical practice of dentistry. You need to take some regular time to get your head out of the office!!
